


I'll Take Care of You

by Aki (Akiko_Natsuko)



Series: Family [2]
Category: Sengoku Basara
Genre: Blood and Injury, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Friendship/Love, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Protectiveness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-22 19:47:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16604363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Aki
Summary: Master and Shinobi. Friends. Family. Both Yukimura and Sasuke have come a long way from the night they fled to Kai, yet, when one is threatened it is like nothing has changed.





	1. Yukimura

   Sasuke yawned widely, completely relaxed for once, as he readjusted himself into a more comfortable position on the branch. Glancing down as he settled, making sure that he could still watch over Yukimura who was practising with his spears in the courtyard below. It was a quiet time for Kai, with a brief lull in a conflict that had started to feel as though it was never going to end, and Sasuke for one was grateful for the time to breathe and take stock. Technically he didn’t even need to be keeping watch, as it was a rare free afternoon when he wasn't required for scouting or fighting, and yet here he was watching over the teenager. Even though he knew better than most that the Tiger cub was more than capable of protecting himself at this point, but old habits die hard, and even with that knowledge, he disliked having Yukimura out of his sight unless absolutely necessary.

    Long years had passed since the night they had been forced to flee the Sanada compound, seeking sanctuary in Kai, and even now there were moments when he still found it hard to believe that Takeda had allowed him to remain at Yukimura’s side. At the time, his arrival and presence had been greeted with a  great deal of suspicion, with many in Kai worrying about their General’s decision, and he had spent the first couple of years surrounded by a cloud of suspicion. That it had been accompanied by poorly masked dislike in many cases had made it harder to bear, and there had been times when he had questioned whether it was even worth the sheer amount of effort he was putting in to making himself useful and trying to be accepted. Especially, when Benmaru was safe and already beginning to blossom under Shingen’s care, and there had been more than one occasion when he had contemplated leaving anyway and returning to his village.

     However, as overwhelming as those thoughts had been at times, they had never lasted long before Benmaru’s impassioned plea from the night they’d arrived would play through his mind, stopping him in his tracks just as it had back then.

_“Sasuke is my family. Don’t send him away!”_

    Sasuke was sure those words were branded on his memory, and they’d never once ceased to warm him inside, and even now he could feel his lips curling up in a smile as he refocused on the teen moving around below. A part of him had always assumed that the affection and regard Benmaru had shown him would decrease over the years, fading away as his Danna grew into a man. Yet no matter how independent the teen strove to be, or how strong he became, Yukimura still refused to cut or even loosen the ties between them. Their relationship had changed, but it was stronger for it. However, with that increased depth, Sasuke had found himself tied more irrevocably to Yukimura, especially to his well-being, which in their usual warring state was far from assured.

    Yukimura had come a long way from the crying child clinging to the only familiar figure left in his life, becoming a warrior of skill who would eventually carve out a legend for himself. However, as confident as he was in Yukimura’s growing capability and strength, he always found himself wincing whenever he watched the teen charging into battle, with little regard to his own safety and wearing limited armour.  He understood that it was just the teen’s fighting style, but it didn’t quell his concerns, and no matter how much begging and threatening he tried, he’d never been able to convince Yukimura to wear more armour. He’d had many a sleepless night because of it, always aware that it would only take one misstep or a lucky blow and Yukimura would be out of the fight, or worse, although he rarely let himself linger on the worse.

    If it had just been his thoughts or bad dreams, he might eventually have dismissed his concerns. Unfortunately, there had been more than one occasion when he’d nearly had to find out just how bad things could be – what a world with his Danna would be like, and each one haunted him more than the last. It drove him to greater lengths in his scouting, determined that Yukimura would never be caught out by inadequate information, and pushed him to continually increase his skills, all in the hope of stopping there from being another near miss. Another chance for Yukimura to fall. It wasn’t always enough though, and even as he watched Yukimura work through a flurry of blows that would down most enemies, he found his mind drifting back to the incident from a few months ago which had reminded him yet again, just how little it could take for him to lose his charge.

*

_The battle had been raging for nearly half an hour, with the flow of fight shifting slowly in their favour. Even Sasuke had been drawn into the centre of the chaos, knowing that his presence and the fact that he fought with the surrounding samurai with an ease that spoke of long practice tended to confuse the enemy who rarely allowed Shinobi so close. It also gave him reason to stay closer to Yukimura, although that could be a task and a half, as the teen was always on the move. Not that he was hard to keep track of, Sasuke thought as he felt a familiar blast of heat at his back and he neatly dispatched his current opponent, before turning to seek out Yukimura._

_Yukimura was a blur of movement, thrusting himself into the air with one spear while lashing out with the other, flames flickering around him. He looked every inch a Tiger as the blow took out several assailants at once, flinging them back into their own men, and Sasuke nodded approvingly, even as he sliced down with his own weapon, taking out the man who’d tried to get the drop on him. He was just turning away, hearing more movement behind him, when he glimpsed movement behind Yukimura. He might’ve dismissed it, knowing that Yukimura had learned a lot from training with him and was thus harder to sneak up on than most warriors, but the teen’s attention had just been attracted by a loud, echoing boom from the direction they’d seen Shingen heading earlier and he was blind to the approaching danger._

_“DANNA!” Sasuke bellowed, not caring that everyone around him could hear him. Could see the affection and fear he held for his charge in that single moment, the emotion that no Shinobi should feel, let alone show._

_It wasn’t enough._

_Yukimura had heard him, whirling to meet the danger as he immediately grasped what Sasuke was warning him about, but it was too late. Sasuke watched as the teen managed to take down his attacker, but he hadn’t missed the strangled cry that had escaped a split second before, and he was already moving, even as Yukimura stumbled back a few steps before dropping heavily to the ground. He didn’t wait, darting forward, even as he urged Yukimura to get to his feet. He always got up, refusing to stay down during battle no matter how injured he was, and icy dread clawed its way through his chest when Yukimura made no effort to rise, instead listing to the side. “Out of the way!” He snarled to anyone who got in his way, only just retaining enough presence of mind to recognise ally from enemy, lashing out wildly at the latter, forcing a path through them._

_He moved on instinct, shurikens a blur, his eyes locked on Yukimura, determined not to give anyone else a chance to sneak up on his Danna and later he would discover several shallow cuts from his battle to reach him, but for now, he was numb to the pain_

_It seemed to take forever to reach Yukimura, even when a path had opened before him, as those blocking his path moved, realising that he wasn’t going to stop. Eventually, he reached him, and he staggered, hit by a surge of relief when he realised that Yukimura was still conscious, his head moving from side to side as he tried to follow the battle, although the gaze that met his was clouded, the teen’s face lined with pain. Still, it was far better than what his mind had been conjuring, and he was trembling slightly as he sank down beside Yukimura, allowing himself a few seconds to drink in the sight of his open, alert eyes._

_“S-Sasuke…” Yukimura was the first to break the silence, but it was clear from his grimace that he hadn’t been able to keep his voice as composed as he’d wanted. Not helped by the way he winced as he shifted, lifting his to look up at the worried Shinobi and offering him what was no doubted intended to be a reassuring smile, but came out as little more than a strained twitch of his lips as he added. “I’m all right…”_

_“Sure you are,” Sasuke muttered cutting across the weak reassurance, knowing the teen too well to be fooled, not that the act would fool anyone at the moment he thought, amber eyes concerned as he watched the colour rapidly draining from Yukimura’s face. He swallowed, trying to quell the voice in the back of his mind that was screaming that this was bad, and the panic that was threatening to overwhelm him. Instead, he focused on reaching out with gentle hands, carefully manoeuvring Yukimura up until he was leaning against him, before easing armour aside to expose the wound. “Let me look,” he ordered when Yukimura mumbled a protest, batting at his hands in an attempt to keep him away, and the teen subsided with a sigh. Only to tense as Sasuke carefully probed the injury, trying to see just how deep it ran, and the teen hissed, biting his lip to stop himself from making a louder noise._

_“It looks worse than it is,” Yukimura said, releasing his abused lip as he noticed that the concern on the Shinobi’s face was increasing as he continued the examination. Although his attempts at reassuring Sasuke, and himself, fell apart a moment later when he broke out in a coughing fit that rocked his entire body, causing him to tense as the motion pulled on the wound. There was no way for him to muffle the whimper that slipped out between coughs, and then there were firm but gentle hands holding him in pace, a soothing voice in his ear encouraging him to breathe and ride out the pain. Just as he had as a child, he turned towards the voice, listening and obeying without question, gladly leaning back against the Shinobi as the fit slowly subsided.  “S-Sas…”_

_“Shh, stop talking,” Sasuke interrupted Yukimura’s breathy attempt to continue reassuring him, his earlier panic reappearing as he glimpsed the splatter of blood that had appeared on the teen’s chin and his expression darkened. So much for it being worse than it looked, he mused bitterly, knowing that Yukimura had just been trying to comfort him, but unable to appreciate it right then as he glanced around trying to plan their next move. There was no way they could remain out here on the battlefield, because while Kai still seemed to be holding the advantage, they were too exposed, and it wouldn’t take long for an opportunistic soldier to realise who Yukimura was and that he was injured and try to take advantage of that. That was something Sasuke couldn’t allow, and there was no guarantee he would be able to protect Yukimura in such an open area, and he scowled.   “Danna we need to get you out of here…”_

_“But…”_

_“Taishou will be fine,” Sasuke said firmly, not needing to hear the rest to know what Yukimura was trying to say and why he wanted to stay, even though he could barely sit up, let alone think about fighting. Not for the first time he wished that his charge wasn’t so dedicated to the Tiger of Kai, even though he couldn’t think of anyone else that deserved that kind of loyalty from Yukimura. Still, it was one thing that was guaranteed to prevent Yukimura from focusing on his own well-being, but there was no way he was going to allow the teen to endanger himself for that, especially not when there was no reason for it. Their forces were already seizing on their advantage, and knowing the men around them, he had little doubt that Takeda would have already been informed about Yukimura’s injury, and that news would lend fury to their General’s attacks. There was little doubt in his mind that this fight was already won, which meant that he could focus on getting Yukimura to safety.  “Just worry about yourself for once.”_

_With gentle hands, he manoeuvred the teen around until he was able to scoop him up into his arms, every pained gasp grating on his nerves, although he forced himself to absorb each one. He hated the fact that he was causing Yukimura more pain, but it was the only way he was going to get him out of here right now, as he doubted that he would be able to stand, let alone move under his own steam._

_“Wha…?” Yukimura asked weakly, voice cracking and breaking around another whimper as he twisted his head restlessly from side to side as he tried to ride out the pain. His fingers grasping at Sasuke’s front, burrowing into the softer parts of the Shinobi’s armour as he attempted to anchor himself in the present, mumbling another protest._

_“Easy, I’m getting you out of here,” Sasuke soothed, frowning as he took in the pained grimace that seemed to have taken up permanent residence on Yukimura’s face, and he pulled his charge closer adding softly. “Just rest for now, I’ll keep you safe.” With a weary sigh that trailed off into a stifled whine, Yukimura obeyed, finally letting his head come to rest against Sasuke’s chest and allowing his eyes to drift shut, although Sasuke doubted he was truly sleeping with the pain he must be in. However, satisfied that Yukimura was as comfortable as he could be given the current situation, Sasuke took off at a run, channelling his lingering panic and growing concern into speed as he darted away from the battle with his precious burden._

**

_Yukimura groaned as he felt himself creeping back towards consciousness, his slow awakening, unfortunately, alerting him to the pain that was radiating from his side, and he bit his lip to muffle the noise. What had happened? He could distantly remember the battle, but what had happened after that…? His memories were a hazy blur, and he frowned, shifting restlessly as they danced just out of reach. However, before he could worry about it too much, there was a soft noise somewhere above him and movement beside him, and then there were cool fingers ghosting across his forehead. The touch was soothing, and he tilted his head into it, making a soft noise of relief._

_“Danna? Are you awake?” He had just started to drift off once more, lulled by the gentle touch and familiar presence, and the quiet voice made him falter, even as he automatically tilted his head towards it. The depth of worry in the question telling him that he had probably been out of it longer than he’d initially thought, or that the source of pain in his side was more severe than he’d realised._

_“S-Sa..suke,” he managed to force out through dry lips, frowning at how difficult it had been to say something so simple, but his annoyance was derailed when he felt something being pressed against his lips and a hand beneath his head, lifting him carefully to meet it. Trustingly he opened his mouth, making a relieved noise as cool water brushed his lips, slipping in and washing away the dryness, and it was a battle not to drink too quickly. Instead, he focused on the quiet murmuring in his ear, using the words to ground himself and to resist the temptation to gulp down the water._

  _“Better?” Sasuke asked, removing the cup when Yukimura turned his head away to indicate that he was finished for now, and the teen nodded as he turned his focus to the task of actually convincing his eyes to open._

_It took several minutes and a lot more effort than he would ever admit, but finally, he managed to coax them open, although he seemed incapable of getting them past slits and even at that he had to blink heavily to bring the world into focus. Not that it mattered, because he could try and work out where he was and what had happened, his vision was obscured by a familiar face, and despite the pain he was in, a fond smile tugged at his lips as he stared up into worried eyes. Although his attention soon drifted to the lines that hadn’t been there before, and the dark shadows beneath the Shinobi’s eyes and he frowned, just how long had he been out?_

_“Wha’ happened?” He asked once he managed to find his voice, unused to seeing Sasuke fazed by anything that they face. The words coming out slightly slurred despite the fact he’d just had a drink, and he pulled a face at the sound, before adding. “After the battle, I mean.” He could remember it more clearly now, Sasuke’s voice rising above the din of battle, a split second before he’d taken a blade from behind. Lying there, trying to force himself to move, but unable to find the strength, although he’d still tried to pretend that he was all right._

_“You lost consciousness while we escaped,” Sasuke replied, voice strained in a way that it rarely was, and Yukimura carefully lifted his hand until it came to rest against one of the Shinobi’s armoured arms. Trying to offer an apology and comfort all in one, although considering how badly his fingers were trembling he doubted it was much use. “You’ve been unconscious for nearly a week. That scratch of yours nearly killed you.” There was a bite to his voice as he threw the teen’s careless words back at him, the edge made worse by the obvious concern and exhaustion in the Shinobi’s expression, and Yukimura winced, even as he struggled to grasp what Sasuke was telling him. A week? No wonder Sasuke was so on edge, and he grimaced realising that his attempt to comfort the Shinobi at the time, had been way off base, although he’d honestly thought that the wound wasn’t that serious._

_“I’m sorry,” he murmured. He wasn’t apologising for being wounded, although he knew that he should have been more alert because injuries came with the territory and he knew that the Shinobi was aware of that. No, he was apologising for the worry he had caused, the exhaustion in Sasuke’s eyes, that he knew was because Sasuke had refused to leave his side._

_“I know,” Sasuke replied, biting back a sigh as he saw the sincerity in Yukimura’s gaze and realising that the teen probably hadn’t realised just how serious the wound had been at the time. Hell, even he had underestimated just how bad it was, which hadn’t made the last few days any easier to bear, and he’d been on tenterhooks, terrified that the healers might be wrong and that Yukimura might still slip away from him. It was why he hadn’t dared to leave Yukimura’s side, barely even closing his eyes to snatch a nap, for fear something else would happen if he lowered his guard. “Just try not to do it again. At least for a little while, all right, Danna?”He knew that he was pleading and that he was unprofessional, but he didn’t care, and the thought of being in this situation again any time soon terrified him._

_“I’ll try,” Yukimura promised immediately, watching the emotions that were playing across Sasuke’s face and wishing that he had more than mere words. However, he was derailed from his thoughts as a wide yawn broke free and he blinked, startled to realise just how tired he felt despite having just woken up. He wasn’t ready to fall asleep again yet though, his natural stubbornness rearing up and he blinked again, fighting against the pull of sleep. It wasn’t just that he didn’t want to rest, or because he felt that falling asleep again os quickly would be a sign of weakness, but also because he didn’t want to leave Sasuke alone again so soon._

_“It’s okay Danna get some more rest,” Sasuke urged, as he watched the teen struggling to keep his eyes open, realising the reason for his struggles when Yukimura shook his head and glanced across at him. In truth, he was reluctant to let the teen fall asleep again so soon, even though he knew it was unlikely that he would fall back into the same deep unconsciousness as before, and he knew that rest would only help the teen._

_“You, need to rest too,” Yukimura insisted, adopting a mulish expression when Sasuke frowned, moving to shake his head and he knew that unless he insisted the Shinobi would just keep watch again. “I will only sleep if you will.” He tried to look stern, failing as he yawned widely once more, but his gaze never wavered from Sasuke._

_“But…”_

_“I can tell you haven’t been sleeping,” Yukimura cut across whatever protests Sasuke was formulating, his gaze intense as he locked eyes with Sasuke before unleashing the one weapon that he knew the older man had never found a way to resist. “Please…” he pleaded softly, remembering a different night and a different plea, and he knew he had won when Sasuke glanced away._

_“Fine,” Sasuke muttered, cursing himself for being unable to resist whenever Yukimura resorted to that pleading tone. It was a weapon always worked against him, and despite the years that had passed he had never been able to build up a defence against it. And after the night Benmaru had pleaded with him to stay, it had only got worse, and he sighed before looking up at Yukimura once more.. “Go to sleep,” he ordered.  However, Yukimura refused to look away, and realising that he was going to push the issue, Sasuke sighed again before carefully next to the futon. Aware of the watchful eyes following his movements as he stretched out on the ground, making himself comfortable and after a moment the teen gave a nod of satisfaction before finally allowing his eyes to drift shut as he gave into his own exhaustion._

_Sasuke wanted nothing more than to sit up and resume his watch, still blaming himself for not preventing it in the first place, but there was something about Yukimura’s concerned expression and quiet plea that made him stay where he was. It wasn’t long before he had also drifted off into sleep, the past week catching up with him, lulled by the knowledge that Yukimura was on the mend. It was a testament to his exhaustion that he didn’t even stir when Shingen peered into the room a short while later to check on them, quietly entering the room when he realised that Sasuke was asleep. Moving with a predators grace, he found a spare blanket to drape over the Shinobi, smiling down at the man who had repaid the risk he’d taken all those years ago a hundred times over._

    Sasuke shook his head to clear the images, shoving the memory to the back of his mind. Yukimura was safe, his wound long since healed and they would both be more careful in the future. However, even as he tried to reassure himself with that thought, he realised that it was quiet…too quiet, especially when Yukimura was supposed to be training, with the teen’s habit of yelling loudly as he practised. There was a kernel of panic growing, his fingers moving to his weapons as he glanced down at the courtyard, braced to find a threat and coming up short when instead he found the teen in question stood directly beneath him. There was concern written across Yukimura’s face as he peered up at him, and Sasuke grimaced as he realised that he must’ve been more caught up in his memories than he’d thought, yanking his fingers away from a shuriken.

 “I thought you’d gone to sleep,” Yukimura called, and while there was a teasing edge to his voice, it didn’t hide the glint of concern in his eyes as he studied the Shinobi.

“Sorry Danna I was just daydreaming,” he lied, not wanting to remind his charge of the near miss, rolling over and off the edge of the branch, only to twist midair and land neatly on his feet. He didn’t miss the brief flicker of disbelief that passed over Yukimura’s expression before it cleared, a mischevious grin that had the Shinobi eying him in concern replacing it.

“Don’t forget you owe me Dango,” Yukimura teased, and Sasuke groaned as he recalled that he had indeed lost a bet with the teen the day before. “Lots of Dango,” he added, and the Shinobi sighed, well aware of just how much of the treat the teen could devour if he were allowed, before holding his hands up in defeat.

“Fine, fine,” Sasuke grumbled, but the reluctance was more feigned than anything, and there was an amused smirk playing on his lips as the teen was practically bounced after him as he led the way towards the kitchen, letting Yukimura’s seemingly never-ending energy drive away the last remnants of the bad memories and worries.

 


	2. Sasuke

   For once Sasuke was unable to repress his sigh of relief when the signal to retreat was sounded from both sides of the battle, obediently lowering his shuriken even before the sound had faded away. However, he didn’t fully loosen his grip on the weapon as his opponent hesitated a little too long before obeying the command, and it wouldn’t be the first time he’d gone up against someone who would disobey such an order, no doubt hoping to gain further acknowledgement from his leader. Eventually, and with a final glare that spoke of his reluctance, the man lowered his weapon, sheathing it with a disdainful look and turning away. Sasuke let the look wash over him, waiting a moment longer before finally tucking the shuriken away, trying not to let himself crumple with relief there and then as he forced himself to turn and head back towards the regrouping Takeda forces.

   As he approached he glanced around, running on automatic more than anything as he sought out Yukimura as it dawned on him that it had been some time since he had seen the teen in person. The battle had been chaos from the start, and as much as he had wanted to stay with his charge, he knew that in this situation they had done better by separating. It didn’t make him worry any less though, and for once he was glad of the distinctive armour because it wasn’t long before he located Yukimura in the midst of the Takeda forces. By the looks of it he was moving amongst them, checking on them and rallying their spirits, pausing now and then to crouch and talk to those who were obviously wounded, and a proud smile tugged at the Shinobi’s lips as he watched how the men were responding to the genuine care the teen was showing them.

   It didn’t stop him from narrowing his eyes as he studied Yukimura intently for a minute, searching for any indication that he was injured beyond the usual bruises and scrapes that came with battle. However, there was no sign that the teen was bleeding, and no hesitation in Yukimura’s movements that would suggest hidden injuries and eventually Sasuke sighed, shoulders slumping as he let relief grip him. It was rare for Yukimura to end up severely wounded, especially these days, but it did still happen on occasion, and he could never shake the fear until he confirmed for himself that his Danna was okay.

    Finally satisfied that Yukimura was uninjured, he allowed himself to turn his attention to his own condition, which he had been steadfastly ignoring until now. And as though the shift in focus was a trigger, he found himself suddenly, acutely aware of the burning sensation in his side, something that he had been ignoring through sheer stubbornness before now. Gritting his teeth and glancing around to make sure that no one was paying attention to him, he carefully reached out and poked at his side, unsurprised when he pulled his fingers back and found the armour damp, telling him without a doubt that he was bleeding. And quite badly, if the pain that was now assailing him was anything to go by, and he cursed under his breath, pressing his arm up against the wound, hoping that the additional pressure would help stem the bleeding. However, it was only a temporary measure at best, and he knew that he needed to get a proper look at it sooner rather than later.

   However, he couldn’t just do as he pleased and he glanced back at Yukimura, relieved to see that his Danna was still checking on the rest of the men and wasn’t paying any mind to him. He knew that Yukimura wouldn’t be happy about him concealing the injury, but he hated seeing the worried expression that would take over his charge’s face whenever he was wounded, and he was keen to avoid seeing it again. Glancing around he determined that there was no need to fear another attack as Kenshin’s forces had already pulled back, and he knew that his Taishou would never attack once they’d agreed to call enough for the time being. Which meant that he didn’t need to worry about Yukimura for the time being, and so with only a brief hesitation and a quick glance at his side, feeling the dampness slipping between his fingers, he slipped away, intending to find somewhere quiet to tend to himself.

**

    Yukimura, however, was not blind to Sasuke’s presence, having immediately made sure that he had survived the battle. He faltered, falling silent as he spied the Shinobi slipping away and his eyes narrowed as he finally noticed the arm that Sasuke was pressing against his side and the way he was favouring that side as he walked. Signs that he recognised, and he scowled. It was bad enough that he had missed the injury in the first place, but he was angrier about the fact that Sasuke was trying to sneak away and deal with him self…yet again.  And worse, was the fact that he knew the Shinobi would do it again if he let him get away with it this time, and it was with a tremendous effort that he turned his attention back to the solider he had been talking to.

   However, his focus was gone, his mind on Sasuke and after a few minutes he politely excused himself from the conversation and glanced around. Despite the order to retreat there was no chaos, and everything seemed well in hand, so his presence wouldn’t be missed, and yet he still found himself looking towards Shingen, somehow unsurprised to find that the older man was already looking at him. Before he could do anything, Shingen tilted his head in the direction that Sassuke had taken, a pointed look in his eyes, and Yukimura nodded, apparently, the older Tiger was just as aware of the Shinobi’s bad habits as he was.

was, and with a grateful look the teen turned and set off after his wayward Shinobi, irritation and concern lending him speed as he hastily moved around men that were calling out greetings to him. He felt bad for brushing them aside with little more than an absent-minded nod or wave, but at that moment it was impossible for him to focus on anything besides Sasuke.

SB-SB

   Sasuke hissed before gritting his teeth as he carefully began to remove his armour, each movement sending a flash of pain through his side and he found himself having to bite his lip to hold back any more noises of pain. It had been a foolish error that had led to the deep gash on his side…he had been so focused on making sure that no attacks slipped through Yukimura’s defences that he had inadvertently left himself wide open, allowing an opportunistic soldier land a blow on the most vulnerable part of his armour.

“Damn,” he cursed as he pulled the last of the material away, grimacing as he studied the injury with assessing eyes, noting that it was a lot deeper than he had thought it was when he gave it a brief once over during the battle. It was also awkwardly placed and he knew that it was going to be a nuisance to treat on his own, but he was reluctant to seek help, especially as he knew there was no way he could do that and not let Yukimura discover that he was injured.

“Sasuke…” The quiet murmur made the Shinobi jolt violently and he turned wide amber eyes towards the source of the voice, embarrassed by the fact that someone had managed to sneak up behind him…the wound wasn’t serious enough for such a slip in his focus, especially not after a major battle. The only thing that helped was the fact that it was Yukimura that was standing watching him, and judging by the concerned expression on the teen’s face he hadn’t been paying too much attention to Sasuke’s startled reactions.

“Danna what are you doing here?” Sasuke asked in confusion as he hastily dropped a hand in an attempt to shield his injury from the probing look the teen was sending him, he had been sure Yukimura would be wrapped up in the aftermath of the battle long enough for him to tend to this and get it wrapped up before he had to face the teen. “Aren’t you supposed to be with Taishou?” He added, floundering slightly now that his expectations had been proven wrong and feeling trapped as Yukimura began to move towards him with a concerned frown marring his brow.

“Oyakata-sama has things under control,” Yukimura replied calmly as he shot the Shinobi a surprisingly knowing look, and Sasuke subsided, suddenly unsure of what to say especially with the teen’s eyes fixated on him.

“Let me see,” Yukimura ordered sternly as he stopped in front of the Shinobi and Sasuke hesitated for a moment before sighing and raising his arm to offer the teen a clear view of his injury. Brown eyes widened as the teen took in the injury, and his mouth twisted into an angry line as he closed the short distance between them. “Honestly and you call me reckless,” he scolded lifting his gaze briefly to glare at the Shinobi who could only gape helplessly at him, this was a side of the teen that he hadn’t seen before and he had no idea how to react.

“I….”

“Shut up and let me look after you,” Yukimura ordered curtly, cutting across the weak protest and Sasuke found himself watching with wide eyes as the teen settled beside him, jolting slightly when careful fingers brushed around the edge of his injury and he had to bite back the hiss of pain that wanted to escape.

“Danna…” He tried once more, unsure of how to deal with the fact that Yukimura had discovered his injury and was apparently fully set on treating it even though it wasn’t his place to do so.

“I said shut up,” Yukimura repeated and the Shinobi wisely heeded the warning in the teen’s voice, falling silent and watching trustingly as his Danna cleaned the cut with gentle, steady hands that didn’t reflect the anger still burning in his eyes. He had to admit he was startled by the skill Yukimura was showing as once he was satisfied the cut was sufficiently clean he set to carefully stitching the wound shut, his fingers every now and then brushing against undamaged skin in silent apology for the pain that he had to be causing even though the Shinobi hid any sign of pain.

“Thank you,” Sasuke risked as Yukimura set aside the needle and thread, and this time there was no anger as the teen glanced at him briefly before reaching for the bandages and proceeding to firmly bind the cut.

“You’re welcome,” Yukimura finally mumbled as he tied off the bandage before gracefully getting to his feet and offering a hand to Sasuke who blinked in surprise before carefully taking it, allowing the teen to gently pull him back to his feet. “You won’t be able to fight for a while, it’s in an awkward place so any abrupt movement will probably reopen it.”

“Danna…” Sasuke tried to protest even though he knew the assessment was correct, but he couldn’t just sit around and do nothing and unfortunately every part of his duties involved ‘abrupt movements’, however, he trailed off as Yukimura glared at him again, before hissing in a commanding tone that was clearly meant to brook no arguments.

“You are going to rest!”

SB-SB

Four days later:

   Yukimura scowled as he headed towards the building that served at the base for his ninja corps, his expression making sure that no one tried to stop him as he strode across the courtyard. He had managed to keep Sasuke away from his work for the past three days, but Shingen had needed him that morning and the sneaky Shinobi had seized the opportunity to sneak away and the teen knew without a doubt where he would find the wayward ninja. He made no attempt to hide his annoyance as he burst into the building, the door opening with a loud noise that immediately silenced the occupants of the room.

    However, Yukimura came up short as he took in the sight that he had just walked in on, brown eyes flashing as they raked over Sasuke. The Shinobi was sat on the ground, his armour laying in a heap at his side whilst one of his subordinates was unwrapping his bandages…bandages that were clearly stained with fresh blood.

“Danna…” Sasuke muttered as he raised his gaze to meet Yukimura’s, fighting the urge to swallow nervously at the anger he could see burning in the brown eyes and he couldn’t help but curse the timing…a few minutes longer and he could have covered this up, now he just had to hope that he could placate the teen. “It’s not as bad as it looks,” he added, shooting a glare at the Shinobi helping him when the man let out a soft noise of disagreement.

“Please leave us,” Yukimura said firmly after a moment, turning his gaze to the other Shinobi who hesitated for a brief second before nodding and disappearing without a word, leaving Sasuke to the tender mercies of a clearly infuriated teen.

“Danna,” Sasuke began only to fall silent at the glare that was sent his way, and he bit his lip as Yukimura quickly closed the distance between them before dropping down beside him and immediately reaching out for the bandages.

“I told you to rest,” Yukimura scolded as he carefully unwound the bandages with steady hands,

hoping that the Shinobi hadn’t managed to actually tear out the stitches as he knew from experience how painful that could be…and no matter how annoyed he was with the stubborn man in front of him, he could never ever wish pain upon him.

“I have work to do Danna,” he pointed out lightly, however, the teen seemed unimpressed with his argument if the annoyed glint in his eyes was anything to go by and he hastily added. “I have been taking it easier than usual…” Not that he’d had much choice, he mused with a light frown, the Shinobi that reported to him had apparently taken Yukimura’s request to keep an eye on him to heart and had been doing everything in their power to relieve his workload over the past few days and had steadfastly refused to let him do anything strenuous when he had appeared that morning…just when did they become that loyal to Yukimura? He couldn’t help wondering as he recalled the fondness and loyalty in their voices when they had reiterated the orders that had been given to them, and he filed it away to ask Yukimura about at a later point when he was in a better mood.

“Clearly not easy enough,” the teen pointed out dryly as he glared at the freshly blood-stained bandages in his hand, before raising his eyes to meet the Shinobi’s and a fierce scowl spread across his face and Sasuke found himself swallowing somewhat nervously…Yukimura could be terrifying when he wanted to and Sasuke had no idea when that had happened, he still expected to be faced with the little boy that had pleaded with him to stay…and in all honesty he wasn’t sure how to deal with this new version of his charge/Master.

“You don’t need to do this Danna,” he murmured as he eventually found his voice, although he made no move to reach out and stop Yukimura as the teen carefully peeled away the rest of the bandage, leaning in to examine the wound with a worried expression.

“I know,” Yukimura replied softly, a relieved expression flickering across his face as he realised that Sasuke hadn’t managed to tear the stitches completely although the wound was looking irritated, and fresh blood was welling up from where the Shinobi had clearly caught it with whatever shenagians he had been up to. His eyes were intent as he examined the rest of the wound, although he briefly shot the Shinobi a warm glance and a small smile that showed his earlier irritation had settled somewhat before adding even more softly. “But I want to.”

“Danna…”

“You’re always looking after my injuries, why can’t I do the same?” The teen demanded with a hint of steel re-entering his voice, and his fingers were slightly firmer as he carefully prodded the wound for a moment before wiping away the blood that was still escaping. Seeing the worry in the brown eyes as he pressed gently against the cut with a clean bit of the bandages, the Shinobi felt the need to try and pass off the seriousness of the injury…and to remind Yukimura that their roles weren’t meant to be reversed in this way.

“It’s…”

“Not proper? Not normal?” Yukimura was practically snarling as he cut across the Shinobi before he could get started, and the Shinobi froze as he caught the hurt hidden beneath the anger, and he immediately felt bad for trying to push the teen away…and for a brief minute all he could see was Benmaru tearfully pleading with him to stay, and he glanced down sheepishly as the teen continued heatedly. “I don’t care! Oyakata-sama doesn’t care!” Over the years the Takeda general had encouraged the familial relationship between the pair, and on more than one occasion had firmly quashed protests about the way the pair acted…and it was well known throughout Kai that their young General considered the Shinobi as family, and would defend him as such.

“Sorry Danna,” Sasuke murmured as he stared wide-eyed at the teen for a moment, before adding quietly, “I didn’t mean to upset you.” It was an expression that he hated seeing on Yukimura’s

face and it was made worse by the realisation that his poorly thought out words had put it there… and worse thing was he knew that the teen was right, those whose opinions mattered didn’t care about the unusual nature of their relationship.

“I know,” Yukimura replied, his anger subsiding just as quickly as it had appeared but the Shinobi could feel his fingers trembling as he resumed working on the wound, and he hastily smothered the faint hiss of pain threatening to break free at the suddenly clumsy touch knowing that Yukimura would feel guilty for causing him pain. “Just let me do this okay?”

“Okay,” Sasuke agreed after a moment, and he was relieved when the quick agreement apparently calmed Yukimura and the teen resumed his ministrations with a slightly lighter expression and steadier hands.

   It didn’t take long for Yukimura to finish cleaning the wound, and once he was satisfied the bleeding had stopped once more he wrapped it up in clean bandages. His expression turning stern once more as he sat back so that he could meet Sasuke’s gaze, and the Shinobi was relieved to see that there was no sign of the earlier hurt in his eyes, even though he tensed at the stern look he was now receiving.

“Promise me you’ll rest properly this time,” Yukimura asked quietly, his gaze intent and unwavering as he stared at Sasuke. The Shinobi hesitated for a moment, still uneasy at the idea of resting and not working, but realising that if he didn’t promise and hold to that promise not only would he be risking his own health but he would more than likely hurt the teen…and he didn’t want to cause Yukimura anymore worry.

“I promise,” he agreed seriously after a moment, amber eyes never shifting so that Yukimura would see the truth of his words and he was rewarded by the teen relaxing slightly. He was caught by surprise a moment later when Yukimura suddenly leant forward and wrapped his arms around him, carefully avoiding the injury. “Danna?” Sasuke queried with a mix of surprise and concern, trying to remember the last time that the teen had hugged him and alarmed by the sudden action.

“I hate seeing you hurt,” Yukimura mumbled after a moment his face buried into the Shinobi’s shoulder, and Sasuke could feel the faint tremor that accompanied the words, before the teen added more strongly. “You need to take better care of yourself!”

“I promise to try,” Sasuke replied soothingly as he finally raised his arms and wrapped them tightly around the teen, a fond smile tugging at his lips as Yukimura let out a soft noise of contentment before leaning further into the embrace…it didn’t seem to matter how much older he became, Yukimura still drew comfort from hugs and although he would never admit it aloud, Sasuke also found comfort in the nostalgic gesture.


End file.
